Saturday, March 05, 2005

So, the wife was talking to the Old Sod, and 'Global Warming' came up

It reminded me of yesterdays post about the Ozone layer disapearing (or not).

Over acroos the water, they have the "BeeB" and they believe in global warming. She said over here most Americans don't; It's my opinion that we actually look at other sources for the facts.Another article I found last night (can't remember where to link) was from the Brits themselves.

The article (Arcticle?) basicly said that -yes there have been periods of global warming BEFORE *man* even DISCOVERED fire!

Antarctic ice shelf retreats happened before

No: 4/2005 23 Feb 2005

The retreat of Antarctic ice shelves is not new according to research published this week (24 Feb) in the journal Geology by scientists from Universities of Durham, Edinburgh and British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

A study of George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula is the first to show that this currently ‘healthy’ ice shelf experienced an extensive retreat about 9500 years ago, more than anything seen in recent years. The retreat coincided with a shift in ocean currents that occurred after a long period of warmth. Whilst rising air temperatures are believed to be the primary cause of recent dramatic disintegration of ice shelves like Larsen B, the new study suggests that the ocean may play a more significant role in destroying them than previously thought.

Damn those Cro-Magnon SUVs

Buried farther down in the Arcticle is this little gem:In 2001 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) predicted future sea level rise on the assumption that the Antarctic ice sheet would not make a significant contribution over the next one hundred years. Recent data from the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in Antarctica suggest that this area is making a contribution, but whether this is a short-term fluctuation, or a result of recent or ancient climate change, is an open question. Our ability to predict the future of this part of the West Antarctic ice sheet is limited and basic information such as the ice sheet thickness, conditions beneath the ice at bedrock, and past ice sheet history are required to build numerical models that will allow robust prediction.